The initiation of oral diseases which have a microbial etiology is in part dependent upon the accumulation of these pathogenic organisms at various sites in the oral environment. One factor which contributes to the accumulation of a particular organism is its ability to proliferate. Since microbial growth is dependent upon an organism's biosynthetic potential, and since biosynthesis by oral bacteria is generally dependent upon the energy (ATP) produced from the fermentation of exogenous carbohydrates, studies dealing with the catabolic pathways responsible for ATP production will serve to elucidate the biochemical mechanisms by which orad bacteria such as S. mutans generate the energy necessary for biosynthesis and hence accumulation. Since glycolysis is the only known pathway by which S. mutans can generate ATP, our studies have focused upon those mechanisms responsible for regulating carbon flow within the glycolytic pathway and between this and other carbohydrate dissimilative pathways in these organisms. An insight into the mechanisms by which caries-conducive, oral bacteria regulate and control glycolysis might well lead to applicable clinical procedures which would ultimately result in a reduction of the frequency and incidence of dental caries by preventing the accumulation of these organisms in the oral environment.